Juanita M. Kreps
Encyclopedia
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and was the first woman to hold that position, and the fourth woman to hold any cabinet position.
Life and career
Kreps was born Clara Juanita Morris in Lynch, KentuckyLynch, Kentucky
There were 408 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone...
, the daughter of Cenia (née Blair) and Elmer Morris. She graduated from Berea College
Berea College
Berea College is a liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky , founded in 1855. Current full-time enrollment is 1,514 students...
in 1942 and earned her Master's and Ph.D. in economics at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1944 and 1948, respectively. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. A specialist in labor demographics, Dr. Kreps taught at Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
, Hofstra College
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
, Queens College, and Duke. She rose through the ranks there to become the university's first female vice president. She was the first woman board member of the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
.
In May, 1944, Juanita Morris married Clifton H. Kreps, Jr. and they had three children. Clifton Kreps was a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
for many years. He died August 23, 2000.
Dr. Kreps was awarded the 1976 North Carolina Award
North Carolina Award
The North Carolina Award is the highest civilian award bestowed by the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is awarded in the four fields of science, literature, the fine arts, and public service....
for public service and 20 honorary degrees. She sat on the board of 10 major corporations.
Political advisor Anne Wexler
Anne Wexler
Anne L. Wexler was an American influential Democratic political consultant, public policy advisor and later, the first woman to head a leading lobbying firm in Washington.-Early life and education:...
, who was serving on President Carter's transition team after his victory in the 1976 presidential election, recommended Kreps for a post in the administration, and Carter appointed Kreps as Secretary of Commerce.